Arrow Foodie: Review - Chilli Cafe

Sunday 3 February 2013

Review - Chilli Cafe

Chilli Cafe
168 Russell St
Melbourne

Cuisine: Thai
Taste Rating: 7.5/10 Value Rating: 7.5/10

Latest Visits
Fri, 25th Jan 2013
Fri, 24th Aug 2012

I've been to Chilli Cafe several times over the years. The latest was with three friends for lunch.

The red curry is the favourite of a couple of friends and that is what they order every visit, without looking at the menu. I like to try different dishes so have to check the menu or the Specials board every time.

On the whole, this is a great place for curries at an affordable price. It is very popular with office workers on their lunch break. The narrow dining area is always full at lunch times, with a queue frequently forming in the middle to order. We make it a point to get here early to get a table.

Fri, 25th Jan 2013

3 Curries and 1 Noodle Dish

Penang Beef Curry

The menu said "Beef cooked in red dry curry & coconut milk". I was expecting a drier rendang type curry. However, there was a fair amount of gravy. The gravy did have the peanutty taste of rendang and was quite nice. The beef slices on top looked a bit dry but on the whole was tender enough.

Beef Noodles

The menu said "Stir fried noodles topped with mince beef in tomato based sauce". This was a surprise find on the menu. "Beautiful" was the feedback from the friend who ordered this. There was a generous amount of ingredients, including beef slices and not minced beef, and kway teow noodles. The sauce was a tasty tomato sauce-based gravy. The fresh red chillies was a request. I said this was a surprise find for two reasons. One, it was a tasty noodle dish in a place where we normally order curries. Two, it was very similar to a local dish in Sarawak, Malaysia called "tomato sauce noodles". The only negative feedback was that there was an oily aftertaste, even though the noodles were not oily while eating but this did not spoil the dish.

Red Curry Chicken

The menu said "Chicken cooked in red curry with vegetables". Feedback from friends who have this dish every time. Tasty but today the curry is "saltier than normal". I tried a piece of the chicken and it was tender enough, in a nice red curry sauce.